Last Christmas
by sunnysideup09
Summary: Destiny and truth awaits schoolgirl Haruno Sakura in another universe which holds the dreams and future that she would never have forseen as she joins hands with a ninja...
1. First Snowflake

**Chapter I**

**First Snowflake**

_"The white, white snow's coming tonight  
Make a wish upon your kiss"  
_

_~BoA's "Meri Kuri" (the last line)_

The white snowflakes were falling, falling….

Somewhere in the distance, a voice was heard. It was almost like a melodic whisper from an angel at first, but then, as it came closer, the distinctive cry became familiarized. And with each frail step, she ran, not minding the sound of crushed snow underneath her black leather boots, not minding the fact that she almost slipped on the cemented ground coated with layers of transparent ice.

"Wait…please," she huffed. He heard her, but didn't take a break from his long walk.

The December air had a sharp bite, as if it scolded both the girl and the boy to go back, turn back away from the central clock tower. There was only about fifteen minutes left until midnight, until another new year, new sun rose from the unknown silence in the dark. Before he left for good, he wanted to buy a cup of tea near a convenience store alone, but the girl's annoying stalking dismissed him from that simple desire.

"Wait…," she said again in a tired voice. Finally, he stopped, and turned back to her.

His looks were never kind. They were as icy as winter, and his onyx eyes always pierced through her heart like the evening star shining brightly through the wisps of grey clouds.

"Go back," he told her sharply. "Stop following me around in the middle of the night."

He began to walk again, but knew that tears were falling from her eyes. Still, he didn't care.

"Sasuke-kun," she said, failing to hide her trembling voice. "Why… please don't go. Please, stay here with me."

The wind was harsh, and much more threatening than the swift winter breeze.

"Go home. I don't need you here-"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun! Can't you at least hear what I want to say?"

She sniffled and wiped her tears with her gloved hands.

"I love you with all my heart – all of it! I care about you so deeply, it hurts. It hurts as much as those who hurt you. I don't want you to go forever. Please… won't you stay… please…."

Her voice was falling apart. She began to shake from both the cold and heartache. This was her last futile attempt, her last hope. But she knew…. She knew that she had lost.

He stood there for a while, watching her tentatively, but still with little empathy.

"Good bye, Sakura, and you'll forget all of this," he whispered, and she fell on her knees to the snow white ground solidified from many footprints over the surface.

She bit her bluish lips and tried to hold back the hot crystal tears that dropped one by one, like the innocent snowflakes being carried through by the wind.

That was perhaps, about a year ago on Christmas.

* * *

"Hey Sakura, look, the snow's falling," Ino nudged the tea pink haired girl sitting right next to her. They were both in the silent classroom, with about sixty students jotting down their teacher's notes in their notebooks. While everyone stayed alert and busy, Sakura was the only one with her head slumped down in the midst of the crowd, with a text book held up near the edge of the desk. Ino tsked.

"Hey, Sakura," Ino poked her friend by the end of her purple pen. "Wake up, forehead."

Sakura started to move from her deep slumber for a little while, but later covered her head with her arms. Ino sighed, but then noticed a sturdy, authoritarian figure standing right in front of her. She quickly went back to her 'pretend-to-take-notes' position while worrying about her clueless friend still in her dreamland.

"Haruno Sakura," the teacher spoke, her voice always being a clear crystal ringing simultaneously. "Haruno Sakura, answer me young lady."

Slowly, the girl raised her head and simply nodded while still being half asleep. Then, realizing her surroundings and the tall, authoritarian figure that stood before her and casting shadow upon her face, Sakura immediately stood up and wiped the drool off her face.

"Smooth," Ino whispered as she tapped herself on her forehead.

Her teacher repeatedly tapped the discipline wand in her left palm. "Haruno Sakura, what is the meaning of this conduct?"

Sakura just scratched her head and rubbed her eyes again. The sight flouted her teacher.

"Haruno-san," the teacher cleared her throat while trying to keep her cool. "You are, by far, one of the best student here in Konoha high school, the most top, prestigious school in Tokyo. Lately your mannerism, your speech, your awareness… they are all falling apart, though your grades still stand as very exceptional. Now please, if you don't mind, can you please pay close attention to my Japanese History class, because I would like to keep you out of trouble, young lady?"

The girl nodded her tea pink head and plopped back into her seat. Ino rolled her eyes and leaned towards Sakura. She cupped one hand over the right side of her mouth to whisper, "What's up with you lately?"

"Oh and by the way," the teacher made her sudden announcement, turning around toward Ino and Sakura. "You two girls are on cleaning duty after school for interrupting class."

When the teacher turned her back to lecture, Ino stuck out her tongue and made rude signs behind her back. Most of the students who saw this either smiled or made a small giggle. All except Sakura. All she wanted was to get out of the boring class as soon as possible.

Then, as if the school bell had read her mind, the clock struck four, and all students stood up automatically to stand and bow respectfully to their teacher to the repetitive computerized sound.

* * *

"Geez, being stuck indoors to clean nasty bathrooms at the last day of class was not what I had in mind as being the romantic start of my winter break," Ino complained as the angrily pushed the plunger up and down in the toilet. At last, the tiny mouth of the potty was open, and Ino pushed down the 'flush' button in disgust.

When she came out of the cubicle, she saw Sakura mopping the floor quietly. Ino sighed. She couldn't stand to see her friend so down on her luck. She decided to use her sunny disposition and charm tactics to liven the mood a bit.

"Hey, hey, now, come on," Ino said as she face palmed her moping friend. "Lighten up! This isn't so bad, and it's almost done anyways!"

Sakura soon stopped mopping. Her eyes were cast down to the wet tiles of the girls' bathroom.

"Ino, are you going to Hinata's Christmas gathering tomorrow?"

"Well, no, I can't, remember? My family's going to Hokkaido for this holiday," Ino answered back. Already, she was deep in her romanticism of white Christmas, skiing, food, and hot springs.

"That's good," Sakura mumbled, and like their Japanese History teacher, Ino was finally tired of Sakura's dreary antics.

"Oh get over it, forehead girl. Just what the heck is bothering you so much? The year is going to end soon, you know. You've been like this for the most of the years!"

At the end of winter break and the start of new school year, Sakura came back weary and quiet. Although Ino noticed, she never mentioned or pointed out her friend's sullenness and solidarity, which seemed long as the months which the snow would last. When it was near March, Sakura's mood lightened a little, and by the time it was summer, she smiled and came back to doing school club activities. However, as soon as the first snowflake had hit the ground on November, Sakura had become a little less energetic. She tried to be herself, but Ino knew that Sakura was keeping faint, façade smiles.

"Seriously, it's not like you're PMS-ing continuously all year round," Ino blurted out.

Sakura's cheeks began to burn hotly. "Ugh, just shut up and get back to work, Ino-pig, and stop being so immature!" Ino crossed her arms and drew a small smile on her face. She slung her arms around her best friend.

"Now that's the Sakura I know. But seriously, if anything's troubling you, just tell me, 'kay?"

And Sakura nodded, though she had no idea how to control her body and moods. It was as if they knew something she didn't.

It was bustling and crowded as ever in Tokyo on the Christmas Eve. In any case, street lights and neon signs illuminated throughout the city like sparkling jewels against the velvet-crimson sky. Couples unconventionally linked their arms together to fight against the cold with their burning desires, and two Konoha high school girls walked home, laughing and jostling each other as if there was no tomorrow in the snow carpeted ground. Finally, they were about to go on their separate ways home.

"Sakura," Ino said as she threw her right hand on Sakura's shoulder. She was searching for the right words to lift up her friend's spirit, but decided not to, as it might further push her friend into depression. She hesitated for a moment, and then instead, she made an adorable grin and shouted, "Merry Christmas, and I'll give you all the best details about my beautiful adventure in Hokkaido!"

Sakura sweat dropped. "Right, right, whatever you say, pig-chan." She waved to her friend, whose body grew smaller as she walked away further to the west. Finally she was all alone in the streets, with the orange light hovering over her glossy pink hair.

She didn't want to go home, due to the fact that her parents went on a trip to Hawaii. She would be all alone, and she hated that. It always felt eerie to be without anyone in her household; it was like as if some strange creature would pop out of nowhere just to give her a heart attack. Perhaps that fear started when she was five and no one was there for her one morning when she woke up. In any case, even though her parents often warned her about staying out late, Sakura decided to ignore their advices just for once, to feel free from their obligations and rules.

There was no one where she was standing. She was all alone, with the exception of tall, snow coated evergreen and deciduous trees towering over her, and rabbits hopping along the rocky lanes near the snow covered cemented sidewalks. Strangely, this place felt more familiar tonight than any other nights, and though Sakura usually took the left road home, she wanted to try the right road just for once. It sounded stupid, but that small action made her feel daring and adventurous.

She was in the park, and the chill crawled into her skin even though she wore a thick red coat with scarves and black leather gloves. She muttered a few curse words to her good ol' prestigious school for giving girls short, ugly black skirts and thin, black cotton stockings in the winter. She was nearly convinced that their second vice-principle was a perverted kappa until she saw the tall, central clock tower standing in all its glory. It always carried its prestigious, Victorian air, with elegant carvings decorated along the sides of the stone wall. She had seen it plenty of times before, but tonight, it drew her attention, as if it kept an ancient secret or two in its hands.

The chilly December wind passed through Sakura carelessly. "Achoo!!!" Sakura sneezed and sniffled. _Man, it's cold… _Her eyes wandered around to look for a place with warmth. A few more steps and she would be out of the park and back into the busy streets of Tokyo again. It was a good thing that she saw a convenience store nearby. Sakura whole-heartedly walked toward the bustling streets, where there would be no silence anymore. Still, that had to be sacrificed if she wanted to stay away from catching a cold; otherwise, her mother would scold her through the phone about causing her so much trouble while she was away on a vacation. Her mother had a sharp eye for knowing almost everything.

It was almost fifteen minutes before midnight, before Christmas would come for its yearly visit. Slowly, one by one, tiny snowflakes were falling from the sky. Sakura saw them before anyone else could. She made her stop just before she could get out of the park to see this nature's wonder.

"I think I read somewhere that if you make a wish on the first snowflake that you touch, it will be granted," Sakura whispered. She saw one tiny snowflake making its way toward her above the rest. She remembered what she wrote on her wish list last year, when she wanted to kiss at least one snowflake. It still wasn't crossed out and remained as number one on the list.

Her eyelids slowly closed, and Sakura lifted her chin and puckered her lips a little.

'I wish that I could feel free for just this once this year. I want an escape,' she thought, keeping her eyes closed. The snowflake was heading toward her cherry lips which now had a tinge of blue from the cold. She lifted her toes a little, just to get a little closer to her wish, and clutched her hands together to her chest.

It was finally quarter to twelve, and strangely, the clock tower's bell started to ring. Tiny snowflakes which hand landed on the ground were lifted from the swift breeze and surrounded Sakura. They danced and sparkled around her, but Sakura took no note of this.

The tiny snowflake which Sakura held all her expectations in suddenly made a piercing bright light. And in one sudden flash, a transparent body of a boy appeared and became solid, showing its true form. Lightly, his lips touched hers. He descended down slowly until the breeze died out.

_Crash! Boom! _

Sakura's eyes abruptly opened as she felt warmth on her lips and pain on her back and buttocks. To her surprise, her emerald eyes met his pool blue ones.

He blinked.

"Gaaaah!!!!" Sakura screamed as she punched the boy off her body with all her might, resulting in him crashing into a huge deciduous tree that dropped a pile of snow on him.

She shivered from the unexpected event. "W-who are you?!" she shouted. She was on the ground, and he was on top of her. He came out of nowhere.

Slowly he emerged from the pile of snow- first his left hand, and then his head, body, and legs. He rubbed his sore head and gritted his teeth from pain.

"Ouch," he said, "That's what I'd like to know."

"Shut up, you pervert! Y-you came out of nowhere!" Sakura then paused, having a small thought rising over the surface of her head. With sudden insight, she quickly pointed her finger at him. "Ah, I know – you're one of those pervs who attack girls unexpectedly when they're caught off guard, aren't you?!"

"Wait, no I'm not-"

"And you stole my first kiss!!!!"

"Ah, that was an-"

"Well, today's your lucky day, dude," Sakura started to roll her sleeves and pull on her leather gloves. "I'm the Captain of the Konoha Karate club, and I also have a black belt. You're going to eat more than that pile of snow tonight!"

"You got it all wrong-!"

Just then, in another brilliant flash of light, another figure emerged spontaneously. Sakura slowly opened her eyes from the sharp brightness which passed by soon enough. An odd man in strange grey uniform appeared, and he was covered in blood and bruises.

Sakura gasped in shock.

"Sir, are you alright? Did that weird pervy freak attack you too?" Sakura said as she walked carefully toward the wounded man. Setting the mean comment aside, the boy still sitting in the snow yelled, "Don't get close to him; he's dangerous!"

"What?" Sakura said, completely caught off guard. But as she turned her head back to the wounded man, he already had a sharp kunai raised to the top of her head.

Sakura couldn't move. She couldn't speak. Her legs were rooted to the ground like all the trees around her. _So this is what it's like to be a tree_, she thought as she opened her mouth to give herself a last scream….

"Get down!" she heard another voice from behind scream at her. Immediately, she dropped to the ground and covered her head.

She heard the sound of flesh being cut through.

She thought dying would be painful, but she felt nothing but drops of liquid sliding against her face. Her eyes blinked a little, and then fully opened to see the boy, the one she deemed as a pervert, hovering over her. His back was turned away from her, and he had his left arm raised to shield her from the full blow of the kunai.

His blood was dropping down on her cheeks.

Sakura covered her mouth in horror.

"More… blood…," the grey coat mumbled through the thick, black mask he wore. His eyes were begging for more violence.

"It's time to say good night for you," the boy whispered as he quickly pulled out a kunai from his back pocket and plunged it right to the enemy's chest.

The grey coat groaned in pain, and then like a log, fell into the soft snow.

The boy who protected her turned back. He saw her eyes shrieking terror, her hands still covering her mouth. He knelt down to her and she slightly moved away from him.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you, no matter what," he said to her with a grin. His gesture was warm and sincere; all too quite genuine and pleasing. Slowly, she lifted her hands away from her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Before she closed her eyes down to cry…

Before he came closer to pat her back….

She caught a glimpse of his spiky blonde hair and eyes, as deep as the ocean, once more.

* * *

A/N: Ah, the first chapter. I just got back from my trip, and I kind of rushed in to write this story. Don't get me wrong - I got this all planned out. Anyways, it's for the NaruSaku Holiday contest, so I hope it turns out alright since this is my first time entering in a fanfic writing contest. I'm going to try my hardest to finish this story! By the way, I mentioned the word 'kappa' before. If you don't know what it is, kappa is a Japanese mythological creature, known for its mischiefs, perverted tricks, and monkey-like or frog-like form. I hope that clears things up!

This story was inspired by Wham!'s "Last Christmas" and BoA's "Meri Kuri." I do not own Naruto or these songs. I hope you enjoy as you sit back and see your own version of White Chrismas.


	2. The Encounter

**Chapter II**

**The Encounter**

_"Meeting you was fate, _

_becoming your friend was a choice, _

_but falling in love with you I had no control over."_

_~Anonymous_

When she woke up, she saw the vast sea of desert, with the clear cerulean sky hovering over her. She was in a wagon with the strange, blond haired boy as her travelling companion. Perhaps it was the other way around, but either way, it didn't matter. He spooked her with his strange kindness.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he grinned. She nodded slightly like she did back in her classes in Konoha high until she realized that the boy was right up close to her face.

"Eeekk!!!" she shrieked and punched the boy away to the other side of the wagon.

Outside, the man holding the reins of the two horses heard a huge _thump_ inside the wagon but didn't mind to look in to see if there was any trouble. "Young couples these days have no shame," he tsked and flicked the reins a little so the horses could go a little faster.

Sakura took in deep breaths and looked around her surroundings. Through the open end of the wagon she saw the wheel trails imprinted on the sand. The moon was still perched up above as it timidly gave a splash of its whiteness out from the blue sky.

Sakura backed herself into the corner while pumping her right fist into the air as a threat to the boy. "W-who are you and where am I?" she said with small caution. The boy just sighed and crossed his arms.

She studied his looks a little bit. The boy seemed to be a little older than her – perhaps almost in his late teens or early twenties. He wore almost all black karate suit with an orange sash around his waist, and a little bit of armor on his sleeveless arms and legs. Around his head, he wore a decorative headband that had a metal plate with an odd simple swirl and a point on the middle. She wondered if he was a full-time cosplayer.

He knew that she was tentatively staring at him. A little embarrassed and flustered, he shouted, "Yeah, what are you staring at?!" A small tint of pink rose on her cheeks.

"I- nothing," she quickly said and turned her face away to save the embarrassment.

It felt hot and stuffy in the wagon, and although she didn't want to take her coat off, she decided that it was better than suffering to death from heat. She pulled all those suffocating garments off and felt the cool breeze rush by her perspiring body.

"Wow, this feels so good!" she said in delight.

While Sakura enjoyed being liberated from the heat for a while, the boy studied her too. She was wearing strange clothes: a short, black skirt with a white top that had blue with white stripe flaps. She had a red sash tied around those flaps, and wore tight, black stockings that accentuated her slender legs. Her hair was tea pink, and her eyes were the color of the rolling pastures he saw back home. She was, indeed, very pretty. Slightly he blushed, bit the corner of his lips, and turned his head away from her. Of course, she did not notice this at all, not even a little bit.

Suddenly a small clip of her memory resurfaced from the corner of her mind within a flash. "Wait a minute," she said. "Are we in Tokyo?"

The boy cocked his head in confusion. "Tokyo? Where's that?"

She thought she was just imagining the vast sea of the grains of sand against the clear blue sky. She thought that she was hallucinating about the huge moon making a small peak out from the sky. She rubbed her eyes over and over again and poked her head out of the ends of the wagon. She felt the hot desert air blow underneath her white uniform shirt.

It was real. It was all too real.

Flames of fury began to burst out from her pretty head as she grabbed the boy's top part of the suit and pulled him close to his face threateningly. "You kidnapped me?! Where is this place?"

"I didn't kidnap you, first of all," he said as he grabbed her wrist, making her let go of her grip. "Second, we're in the Suna deserts."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about!!!" Sakura panicked.

"We're going back to Konoha, got that? So just sit back and relax. We're almost there," he snapped. The word 'Konoha' rang in her mind like bells.

'So I'm going back to school? What the heck…This is way too confusing,' Sakura thought, but decided to keep quiet and wait until she went back to the familiar public building on a wagon with a strange boy in armor.

Instead, Konoha turned out to be a huge village in a country called the Land of Fire.

'What the heck…,' she sweat dropped and thought as she leaped out from the wagon. She saw hoards of villagers scurrying around the boy.

"Hey look, it's Naruto!"

"Naruto's back? Did he bring anything back?"

"Naruto, you've been gone for almost three days!" a beautiful, very voluptuous blonde woman with pigtails emerged out from the crowd with her arms crossed. She looked quite challenging with her deadly, menacing glare despite the softness depicted in her brown eyes.

While most of the villagers began to back away from her frightening temper, the boy just scratched his head casually. "Yeah, well, I finally got him, Tsunade-baa-chan." He took out a headband with a metal plate that had a music note symbol on it. The villagers suddenly started to cheer, leaving Sakura to be much more confused than before.

"Who's this pretty girl, Naruto-onii-san?" a little girl tugged on his pants and asked. He stared at her with caution, as if he was a little suspicious.

"Me? Well, I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura," Sakura answered back hesitantly. The villagers smiled.

"Welcome Sakura, to Konoha, one of the most beautiful villages in the world," an old man greeted.

"Um, thank you?"

While people began to compliment on Sakura's beauty, the blonde woman named Tsunade leaned close to Naruto and whispered, "Are you sure that she's not some foreign spy trying to sabotage Konoha? Looks can be deceiving, you know that."

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry; she's harmless. Besides, she has nowhere to go. Just let her stay with us for a while until she can go back to her home country. To-ki-yo, or whatever it was called."

Tsunade furrowed her brows as soon as she heard him mention the unfamiliar word. But before she could question more, Naruto had already stepped into the crowd to pull Sakura away from the mass of drooling teenage boys flirting with her shamelessly.

* * *

"So this is Konoha?" Sakura said. The boy called Naruto nodded with pride.

"Yeah, isn't it great?"

Great? She really couldn't figure that out too much on her own. The village was just as strange as the boy walking right in front of her. There were large wooden fences on each side of the walls of buildings, and the whole village was somewhat reminiscent of feudal Japan mixed with modern, 70's look. Some places looked a little weary and broken down like a slump, and other places looked positively well furnished. This place wasn't her home, so she thought.

She was walking behind him a little until he made a firm stop.

"Hey, why are you-"

"Shh," he said with a grin. And then, before she knew it, he hollered to the sky, "Kakashi-sensei, I know you're looking at me up above, so just come on out!"

Sakura took a look around, but there seemed to be no one around. Suddenly, a swirl of leaves spun around in front of Naruto, and a human figure emerged out of the nowhere.

"Yo," a man with spiky, lopsided silver hair with a mask said. "How'd you know I was up there on the rooftop, Naruto? You're getting sharper than ever."

"Tch, I know that you always read your smutty books up there all the time!"

"I'm that predictable, huh…," Kakashi sighed.

The boy just grinned, and Sakura's jaws dropped nearly to the ground. _How… how did he appear like that?!_

Kakashi took a peak at Naruto's back. Sakura stood there, unguarded and a little nervous from the man's stare. Finally, Kakashi's right eye drew a half-moon smile.

"Ah, so you're that famous girl with weird pink hair," he said.

'Famous… weird… pink…?'

"Did the news already spread through the village?" Naruto chuckled.

"Well, of course. Don't underestimate the power of the village gossipers."

Kakashi studied Sakura a little bit, making her further self-conscious. "Wh-what? What is it about me that's so worth being stared at?"

"You're definitely not from around here," Kakashi pointed. Sakura sweat dropped. _Yeah, even this blonde idiot knows that…. _

"So you're from Tokyo, right?"

Sakura blinked a little. "How did you know that?"

"The Hokage informed me, and sent me here to say a little something," Kakashi said, and then turning to Naruto, "You do remember the disappearance of those twelve ninjas near the Nara forest last year, right?"

"Yeah, who could forget?"

"Now we've just figured out what's been happening," Kakashi squatted down and began to draw a simple diagram. "It's Madara."

"But that's impossible… I thought he was dead…."

"You may have defeated him three years ago in the Nara forest, but actually, he's been slowly regenerating using space-time jutsu. Although Madara doesn't quite exist yet, he acts as a portal between our world," Kakashi said and pointed to Sakura, "and hers."

"Me?"

"I don't get it," Naruto squinted as he pushed his lips out in confusion. Sakura stared at Naruto, unable to believe his thick-headed side.

"To put it simply, this Madara is still regenerating but is a portal between my world and yours," Sakura said impatiently.

"Exactly, and he's been doing this to harness energy from both these worlds," Kakashi said. "Full regeneration takes in a lot of chakra and time to make it happen, and Madara has already picked out places for these portals to happen. The portals can happen randomly here in this world, but only one place has been chosen in Sakura's world."

"The central clock tower in Tokyo," Sakura said in realization. Naruto still bent his head around in confusion.

"Either way, it's up to us to destroy this portal. The task is simple. Madara is still weak, though he has collected a mass of chakra over the year. To destroy it, Naruto, you'll have to throw your Rasenshuriken into the portal. Its vortex of microscopic wind blades will surely cut through and destroy the space-time jutsu inside the portal," Kakashi explained. Sakura nodded, but had one particular question in her mind.

"Can I still go home if this portal is destroyed?"

"I… I'm afraid not," Kakashi spoke carefully. "That is, you may have to travel back home first before Naruto could destroy the portal. But finding another portal to get back to your world will be difficult. It may take a few days or weeks."

'I guess I'm going to miss out on Hinata's Christmas party,' Sakura thought, feeling sorry to leave her friend alone with people she barely knew. In the least, she promised Ino that she would console Hinata due to the fact that her kitten died last week.

While Sakura was deep in her thoughts, Kakashi asked, "Tell me, do you remember how you got here, Sakura?"

Sakura tried to recall the memories. "I remember that after Naruto killed that guy, there was a pillar of light coming down from the sky. It lifted us both off from the ground so quickly…and then somehow, when I woke up, I was in the wagon…" Sakura rubbed her forehead. Kakashi stayed quiet for a moment and then spoke again.

"Not many people can go through the portal. There's a ninety per cent chance of death for anyone who enters the portal."

"Ehh?!!" Naruto and Sakura both screamed in unison. "But we… I…?"

"You guys are one of those rare cases. I suspect that ninja whom Naruto was tracking down to assassin just barely made it through."

"So that's why he went down so easy," Naruto muttered to himself.

_Easy?_

"Well, I should get going now," Kakashi said as he got up from his squat position. The truth was, his legs were almost asleep from maintaining that way for a long time, and he wanted to read the last chapter of the newest Icha Icha series which was published after the death of the legendary author and shinobi.

"Wait, come on," Sakura stopped the two people from moving. "I still need a few explanations around here. Where am I and who are you people? What kind of place is this, and what's up with this get-up?"

Kakashi and Naruto both stared at each other. "You haven't told her where she was?"

"Eh, I guess I didn't get what she was saying," Naruto squinted as he scratched his head timidly. Kakashi sighed in all hopelessness and Sakura almost fell on her face to the ground from Naruto's thick-headedness.

"Alright, listen up Sakura if you want to live in this world, because it's probably far different than where you came from," Kakashi dropped his voice a little to catch her attention, and Sakura began to listen. Slowly her mouth began to draw a shape of an 'o' as the jonin told her about their world of the ninjas, nindo, a short history of other countries and their formations, chakra and its techniques….

* * *

"I still don't understand a thing or two around here. Who is this Madara anyways, and is there even Christmas or winter here?" Sakura grumbled.

"Kuu-ri-su-ma-su? What's that? And it is winter here right now," Naruto bent his head over to the side. Sakura crumpled her forehead and stared at the wide sky with barely any clouds. The sun was burning bright in her eyes. Hardly the winter that she imagined.

"Ne- never mind," she sighed.

"Madara was a strange one," Naruto answered at least one question. "He's the one who controlled an illegal organization called Akatsuki to rule the world by harnessing the power from the jinchurikis. I defeated him years ago, and yet he's still here. Heh, that bastard wants to live so much. I guess it can't be helped."

"You seem really calm about it," Sakura replied. It almost sounded like sarcasm, even though she didn't mean it. "Anyways, I want to see this Tsunade, the Hokage woman."

Naruto raised one brow. "Why her?"

Naruto's rude tone of voice and brashness started to irritate her. She didn't like him in the beginning, although he turned out to be an okay guy once she interacted with him.

"She seems to know about where I came from, and what Tokyo is like, according to Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a serious expression. "Besides, I can't just lie around here. I have to find a way to get home."

Naruto raised his chin, but kept his eyes on her. He stopped walking, and Sakura, at her own pace, was suddenly a few steps ahead. Noticing this, she stopped too and looked behind.

"Ne, why did you stop?"

"Y-you know," he hesitated while scratching the back of his head. "S-since you have no place to go, and since we don't know when the next portal will open up, why don't you stay over at my place?"

Sakura's pasture green eyes pierced through his nerves of steel, leaving a huge crack on it.

"Ah, ah, well, it's nothing perverted, really. I'm just trying to be nice, you know?" Naruto started to chuckle and fidget. "Ah, um, I'll give you plenty of space. Anything you want. At my house, I got foot massage and…Ugh, I'm such an idiot… that just came out all wrong…"

"Alright, fine," she replied, holding her head up high with a smile. "It's not like anyone knows me around here anyways."

Naruto's nervous expression had suddenly lightened, but fell after she said, "And don't try to do anything funny."

"Yeah, sure," he said flatly, protruding his lips and quickly turning his head away. He was a funny guy, and somehow, that made her giggle as she turned back toward the front to walk again. Of course, he saw none of this, as he was only grumbling about how stupid he looked in front of her.

* * *

For few days, Sakura and Naruto travelled around and out the village, looking for any pillar of light or clues of where the last sighting of the portal may have been. So far, they had no luck, and they often came back to Naruto's place after the sun set. Often when they were on their way home, they both stopped by the market place to eat at a restaurant called Ichiraku Ramen Bar. It was just a small place, tucked away between houses after another, and seemed quite as plain as the ramen stands that Sakura saw back in Tokyo. But that place always seemed to be Naruto's number one favorite, and not knowing any other place, she was dragged into the restaurant to eat ramen. To be honest, she didn't like ramen much, although it was okay to eat it a couple of times.

"I'm already sick of ramen, Naruto," Sakura began to complain. She leaned over the small shack's table and fiddled around with her chopsticks. "Can't we just go some place else?"

"Are you kidding? Ramen's the best thing that I've ever eaten in my life!" Naruto said. He gulped down all the ramen soup and ingredients down.

"That's right, no one can resist the power of my ramen," the old man called Teuchi roared as he emerged from the white curtains. Sakura bent her head down and rolled her eyes halfway.

"Thanks, old man. It was great!" Naruto said as he put the bowl down whole-heartedly.

"Oh, why do you always treat this girl ramen, Naruto? She never touches her share," the daughter of the old man, Ayame, poked her head out from the curtains.

"Are you two always on a date?"

Naruto and Sakura both stared at each other in unison. Their cheeks were burning red hot, and then Naruto yelled, "No way, come on! Get real you guys!" He tried to laugh it off. "Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?" Sakura was completely caught off guard. It was the first time that anyone would call her with '-chan' at the end of her name. "Oh, right, right."

The old man and his daughter both stared at the duo silently with suspicion, and then shrugged with smug look on their faces.

Well, most of the times, when they walked through the town, they heard the word 'couple' added to them no matter where they went. The next day, when they travelled through the market place to buy vegetables (for Sakura was already sick of ramen), an old merchant woman kindly greeted them and said, "What wonderful couples you two make." Another example would come from the fisherman who sold them a trout in the next hour. And then, there would be a train of examples who called deemed them as couples with a grin on their faces.

Sakura was already sick of their words about love, and Naruto often pushed the comments aside and tried to laugh it off.

"Aw, Sakura-chan, I don't want any vegetables," Naruto complained as Sakura grabbed few cabbages and put it in a small basket she found in his apartment room.

"Shut up, Naruto, and you know you need them," Sakura growled. Naruto then stayed quiet without knowing what to say.

"Aw, what a cute couple," the middle-aged man who sold vegetables commented. Naruto and Sakura blushed.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Sure, sure," the man said as he gave them back the change.

It had already been a few days, and it felt as if Sakura knew Naruto for ages.

That night, when they returned home, Sakura made a stretch and dropped the goods on the floor. "Ah, maybe I'll cook later. I really want a break." She flopped herself on his bed.

It wasn't like as if he slept there anymore. After Sakura moved in, he gave her his bed, bought her new utilities to use, so on and so forth. Life somehow seemed to peacefully flow that way, and Naruto didn't mind having a houseguest, even if it was a girl he never met before.

"I sure wish I could take a shower," Sakura blurted out, staring at the wearing down ceiling. Naruto did not miss that comment a bit.

"You can just use the bathroom, you know?"

"Yeah, but I'm kind of worried…"

"About what? Don't worry, Sakura-chan. The tub isn't rat or cockroach infested," he reassured her with his usual thick-headed part of the brain.

"Ugh, no you idiot! I just… don't want to," Sakura slightly curled her legs to her chest. Yes, of course she did want to take a shower. She was wearing the same uniform for days and hadn't washed her hair. It all felt icky, and she definitely wanted to wash all the sweat, dirt, and grime off her body. However, it also felt uncomfortable to take a shower in someone else's bathroom, especially Naruto's. It gave her this strange sensation.

"Don't worry, I don't mind at all if you use it," Naruto cheerfully told her with one thumb up. She sighed.

"Fine," she said with caution. "But no peeping!"

"Yeah, yeah," he waves his hands away in the air, which somehow reassured her. She quickly ran into the bathroom and stripped all her clothes off. Then, she turned the tap, letting the water run above her head. She waited until the water was warm enough. She was about to step into the tub…

"Ne, Sakura-chan, do you cut the radishes thinly?"

The sound of his roaring, energetic voice almost made her slip on the wet tiles of the bathroom floor. After finding her balance, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yeah, sure, whatever," and stepped into the tub.

"Whew, finally," she said, feeling the warm water rinse off all the grime away. She was enjoying her moment of relaxation when suddenly, Naruto called her again. This time, it was a much softer voice, yet still strong and pure as before.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, do you really want to go back home?" he asked.

Sakura grabbed the shampoo bottle which sat at the edge of the tub and squeezed the last remaining bits on her hair. She lathered and rinsed, and repeated the procedure until all the soap scum were gone.

But still, she wasn't at least one bit hesitant in answering him. "Of course I do," she said. "That's where I live, duh."

She now took a slab of conditioner and patted it through her hair while letting the water run through her body.

"Do you really want to go back?" he asked her again. Slightly annoyed and impatient by birth, Sakura raised her voice in fine temper and shouted, "Yeah, Naruto, I really want to go back home! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

She heard only the water coming down like the gentle spring rain, and there was only silence. But then realizing the harsh tone that she used, she felt guilty. He was at least kind and hospitable enough to her- why couldn't she be the same?

She sighed in agitation and guilt, trying to rinse the conditioner out of her hair.

But then, she heard his whisper, even through the sound of the water pouring down. The bathroom walls were thin enough for her to understand even the smallest sound made outside.

"I wish you wouldn't…."

She stopped rinsing and bit her lips. Why did he want her to stay? All she did was scowl and lounge at his place like a freeloader. Slowly, she felt the feeling of uselessness creep into her heart. She just felt so low….

After finishing her shower, Sakura came out back in her uniform, though she left out her stockings off. She dried her hair with a towel, when her eyes came across the kitchen table set up with all kinds of small side dishes and a hot pot in the middle. The aroma of food made a slight pass near her nose, and her mouth started to water.

"Uh, hey," the blond boy chuckled as he stood beside the table. "Let's eat."

"Huh, what?" Sakura blurted out. She took small steps toward the table.

It wasn't any candle-lit dinner, and it wasn't anything like from the movies depicting romance between a gentleman and a lady in a beautiful restaurant with flowing wine and eloquent conversations. So why did her heart pound so much when she approached near the table? She couldn't understand anything in her chaotic, frazzled mind. Everything was just too confusing.

'It's okay, just calm down…,' she thought as she took her seat. "So did you make all this? I thought you didn't know how to cook since we always went to that ramen bar."

_Oh crap, my mouth, _Sakura thought as she nearly flicked her right hand slightly up to her mouth out of habit.

Somehow, Naruto didn't seem to catch a clue to her small rudeness.

"Well, I know how. It's just that ramen makes me feel happy," he grinned. "But it's been a while since I cooked, so I hope my skills didn't go too rusty."

She didn't hear much of his words. Hunger was controlling her every movement. She raised her spoon and drank the hot miso soup right next to her. Naruto bit his lips and crossed his fingers behind his back,

She took a sip and then froze, keeping his anticipation running high.

"Well, how is it?" he nudged.

"It's… good, really good!" she said in surprise. _Wow, so this idiot knows how to cook too…_

Naruto sighed in relief, and then picked up his own spoon. "Okay, let's dig in then!"

For a moment, there was brief silence. The two people ate in awkward silence, trying to keep their eyes on the food and not each other. Sakura tried hard to concentrate on eating, but she often caught a few glimpse of his eyes watching her. She finally put down her spoon and spoke.

"What, is something on my face?!"

"No, nothing," Naruto said and began to pick up his pace on eating his share of oden. "Ne, Sakura-chan, you really want to go home?"

"You've been asking me that for like a thousand time already, and the answer is yes," Sakura said as she munched her fried rice bitterly.

"Well I've been thinking," he said. "And I don't think we'll find the portal at this rate…"

The spoon in her hands suddenly dropped to the ground. "What?"

"I mean, in any case, why don't you stay with me a little bit longer? Just a little bit. I kind of have this plan-"

"You want me to stay here, with_ you_?" she raised her voice slightly. It was all too unbelievable. "More, with you?" Somehow, he was irritating her. Did he think that she was just some charity case? Why was he so clingy, so annoying?!

"Ye-yeah, but…"

"No 'but' Naruto! I've had it with you. You know, you're the most annoying, idiotic guy that I've ever met in my life! Do you think that I'm some kind of a hopeless case in your eyes? I have my own pride, you know! And believe me- I will go back home, so you can stop being so nice to me! I have my own feelings too, so why can't you just simply understand that?! And why do you always have that stupid grin on your face? It's so annoying. Can't you ever stop smiling for once? Are you ever serious?! You're an idiot, a joke!"

This left Naruto speechless, his pool blue eyes growing wide like the ocean. She couldn't bear to see his eyes, to see right through him, knowing that she had already said things that she shouldn't have said.

Slowly, she backed away from the table and reached her hands toward the door. And then, she quickly ran out of his apartment with guilt reeling over her heart.

"Sakura-chan…."

* * *

She reflected on the past few days she had spent in Konoha. She saw those familiar faces, the ones that she saw back in Tokyo. She saw Ino wearing a somewhat revealing purple garment that seemed to suit her looks like a teenage pop star. She saw Hinata, still shy and reserved as ever, all covered up in a thin, light violet coat and navy pants that nearly went up to her ankle. Then, there were more, like Shikamaru, Kiba, Tenten, Rock Lee, Choji, and so on and so forth. Of course, she didn't realize it before, but Kakashi-sensei in this world looked somewhat similar to the one back at home. It was so obvious but it didn't hit her till afterwards. She was somewhere in an alternate universe. But somehow, no matter where she looked or went, she couldn't find her 'other self.'

The sun was already saying its goodbye over the hills, and darkness was falling upon Konoha. Lights flickered on in each household, and she could see the warmth inside each of them. She could hear the familiar laughter of happiness, the conversations which never seemed to stop. Their love, their happiness… they made her feel smaller.

'I really shouldn't have said that,' she thought as she gathered her knees to her chest. She was on top of a rooftop of some abandoned warehouse, empty and dark as usual. Trees swayed rhythmically by the gentle breeze, tricking her into thinking that it was still summer. But in fact, it was winter, and seasons never seemed to change in the strange village called Konoha.

"Whew, I can't believe this," Sakura sighed.

"Believe what?" A tall male figure plopped out behind the oak tree next to her. He stood on one of the branches casually with a tiny orange book with a red stop sign on the front.

"Kakashi-sensei," she said. He jumped over to where she was sitting.

"Why aren't you over at Naruto's house? Did you have a fight with him?" he asked.

"No, of course not," Sakura lied through her teeth. There was a small pause, and then she began to talk again. "That idiot just doesn't understand how I feel sometimes! All he does is bother and irritate me to the bone. He has that stupid goofy grin on his face, and seems to enjoy being a doormat to some people. He just loves smiling all the time and saying, "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan" to me. It's just… so annoying!"

Sakura let out all the fume of exasperation out from her head and crossed her arms. Kakashi's eyes widened, and then he sat right next to her.

"Sakura, remember the talk that we had about this world?"

"Yes, but what about it?"

"Well, you do remember the talk about the jinchurikis, right?" Sakura nodded. "Naruto just happens to be one of them. The very last one, I should say. The other eights all died in a battle."

Sakura turned her face toward Kakashi, slightly in confusion. _What…?_

"Those who are jinchurikis are born to live a life of solitude and abandonment," he continued. "He probably didn't mention this to you. Maybe he was scared to tell you the truth. But he lived a harsh life. He had no family, no friends from the start. He was always chased down by the Akatsuki because they wanted his kyubi, and no one could understand his pain."

Sakura's expression changed from confusion to slight realization.

"He may seem stupid and goofy to you, but he understands other people's pain. He understands your loneliness of being further apart from your world.

"One day, he just got sick and tired of moping around and crying because it didn't help at all. So he's trying to smile it off. He wants to live life like others. He probably wants to show you his share of life in Konoha too, so you won't be so lonely. I understand how you must feel too, but don't you think you should understand a bit of Naruto's feelings as well?"

Sakura nodded slightly, and Kakashi smiled. "Good. Now let's get down from this place. How did you get up here anyways?"

'The ladder,' Sakura wanted to point it out, but decided to keep that thought in her mind. Kakashi carried her in princess style and jumped off the tall warehouse.

"Now go home safely," he told her and disappeared under a cloud of smoke.

Sakura began to walk. She felt guiltier than ever after that talk with Kakashi. But it did help her understand a little bit of Naruto.

She was almost close to his apartment, when she saw a blonde-haired boy far away from her, calling out her name. She watched him tentatively, cocking her head slightly, wondering again why he cared about her so much like this.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"

'_Mou_, that idiot. Stop calling my name so much like that! You'll bother the neighbors,' she thought as she took slow steps toward him.

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!"

'Do you like me that much?'

"Sakura-chan!!"

"Stop calling my name, you idiot! I'm right here!" Sakura shouted, and then he turned toward her. His grim face was suddenly lightened, and it was the first time that she had ever seen his expression change, even though it was under the dimly lit streetlights.

"Sakura-chan, you're okay!" he grinned. His gentle eyes met hers, and surprisingly, her heart thumped a little. She was blushing, and she could feel that. Not wanting him to see her, she turned away from him.

'Why am I like this? He's not my type,' she tried to reassure herself. Her guilty conscious was evaporating away from her heart, though a part of it still remained in her mind. His kindness, his smiles looped over and over again in her mind.

She bit her lips and stared at her shoes. She did not want to see him.

"Sakura-chan? Are you okay?"

"You're such an idiot," she whispered in a low voice.

"Ah, sorry, I couldn't hear you. Can you say that again?"

"I said you're such an idiot!" she raised head up quickly and shouted. "Idiot, idiot, idiot! You shouldn't care for an idiot like me! All I did was scowl at you, be mean to you! Why are you so kind to me?!"

And then, Sakura began to weep and put her head against his chest. Naruto was confused at first, not knowing what to do. But in the end, he raised one hand over to her back and held her gently.

He was so warm. His scent… she liked his scent.

* * *

That night, it didn't take long for Sakura to figure out about Naruto's plan. Apparently, it was all a misunderstanding. Sakura ran out from his house before he could explain thoroughly to her.

"Ehh?! You mean…"

"Well, we can't just stay in the village for long, Sakura-chan. If we want to find the portal, I think we'll have to do some travelling around this country for a bit."

"That was your plan?!" Sakura screamed. She felt so stupid to run out like that. _I jumped to conclusion…._Her shoulders and head drooped toward the floor from realizing her rashness and stupidity. Her mother did always tell her to fix that nasty habit.

"Okay then," she drearily said, trying to pass it off casually. "Let's start packing."

Somehow, Naruto felt chills crawl up his spine from the sudden change in the atmosphere.

It was early in the morning, when the sun was about to rise in the east. Sakura and Naruto both carried knapsacks full of any useful utilities. They were heading toward the gigantic viridian gate, when they saw her leaning against the stone walls.

"Ah, Tsunade-baa-chan?" Naruto said, caught in surprise.

'So that's Tsunade-san,' Sakura thought.

"Where do you think you're going, Naruto?" Tsunade singled him out, not minding the girl for a minute. "A ninja shouldn't leave the village without any permission, even if he is the Hokage."

"Ex-Hokage," he reminded her. Sakura was again, caught in another surprise. _Ehh?! He's the Hokage of Konoha..?_ She remembered the rankings that Kakashi had talked about in the ninja world. When the Hokage talk came up, Kakashi slightly rolled his eyes toward Naruto who seemed to not pay too much attention to that particular subject.

"Whatever. Retired or not, you should still inform me, Naruto, and you know that," Tsunade roared.

Naruto pretended to groan in pain, though he was fine about the woman still looking after him like his very own grandmother. "How did you even know that I was going to go out?"

"I got a few tricks up my sleeves," said Tsunade, and then turning toward Sakura, "Ah, so you'll be escorting him too?"

"We're just going out for a walk," Sakura informed her, telling only half the truth. Tsunade half-heartedly nodded, playing along with the little games that the young ones were making.

"Uh huh, well, just remember to be careful," the blonde woman crossed her arms with a cocky smile and a wink at the boy. "And Naruto, try not to get so carried away."

"Um, okay," the clueless Naruto said, while Sakura's jaws dropped abruptly. "Right, we should get going now…"

"You go out first; I want to talk to Tsunade-san alone," Sakura said as she started pushing him out of the gate. When Naruto was finally out and grumbling in the distance, Sakura turned to the woman.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?" Tsunade asked, now keeping a serious look upon her face like Sakura.

"You seem to know a lot about Tokyo,"

"I only know what I do know," Tsunade replied with sudden mysterious smile rising. "I've seen it only once as a little girl. I was there before."

"But how, and can you tell me a way to get back home? Will I get there anyhow?" Sakura insisted. Still, Tsunade kept her silence and smile.

The sun rose above the plane, and a gust of wind rushed by the two women, one with age old secrets, and the other, just learning.

"You'll soon figure it out on your own, Sakura. Those who had an experience of time travelling are not allowed to talk about it a lot. You will go home soon, I believe, by Christmas."

"Christmas? But it's been almost a week since I've been here, and Christmas passed. How is that possible?"

"You'll soon find out, Sakura. You'll soon find out."

* * *

"That Tsunade woman is so strange," Sakura grumbled as she ran out of the gate. Naruto was waiting for her nearby. She ran up to him. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"That's alright. Baa-chan's fun to talk with once you get to know her," he said, and then he leaned close to her ears. "And just so you know, she's over fifty years old."

"Fifty years old?!" Sakura shrieked. "How is that possible? She looks so… so…"

"Young, I know. It's some special medical jutsu to make her appearance look young," he grinned. Sakura made a weird look, as if Naruto was pulling a prank on her. But his smile seemed so genuine and innocent enough to believe. Her heart almost melted but then quickly, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"Say, why didn't you tell me that you're the Hokage?"

"Ex-Hokage," he pressed in. "And that's all ancient history. It's nothing special."

"But it's still part of you," she told him. "So why did you quit being a Hokage?"

He had a serious expression drawn upon his face, and Sakura stopped to see all the burdens and pain in the past suddenly coming back to life in his eyes of deep, blue ocean. "How can I… when I can't even save one life?"

Sakura's mouth parted. She had a tinge of pain in her heart as she unexpectedly pitied the boy in her heart, though she didn't know the full reason why.

Noticing this, he said gleefully, "Ah, well, I like my life like this. It's nice and quiet; who wants to live under pressure anyways? He he, let's go Sakura-chan!"

He slowly began to pick up his pace again, and Sakura sensed all his ancient sorrow left clinging in the air like a bittersweet perfume.

"Naruto… just who are you really?" she painted those words into the wind quietly.

* * *

They had walked many hours away from the village. They went further, and there seemed to be no sign of any portals, let alone an inn. The night was closing in, and Sakura was feeling a little tired from all the walking. They had also been silence too, and though there wasn't much talk, she still enjoyed his company. It was the same with him. She didn't complain, not even once, even though she had sore legs and feet that felt like they were being crushed underneath a boulder. Seeing her hobble a little and the sun set over the mountains, Naruto stopped.

"Okay, I think we need to settle down for tonight," he told her. She nodded eagerly, as if this was what she was waiting for the whole time.

"I'm going to scope the land a little to see if there's any place suitable enough for us to camp out. Just wait here for a while," Naruto said, and with that, he leaped into the air and away to the distance in the forest.

When he was gone, she plopped down on the ground and took off her shoes. Her feet were aching, and she rubbed them with her hands. She took the heavy knapsack away from her shoulders and started to move them around a little.

It was getting quite dark, and Naruto hadn't come back to her.

"Geez, where could that idiot have run off too? It's getting a little cool too," Sakura began to complain. "I hope he's alright… that Naruto."

She made a little arm stretch, when suddenly, a sharp object swished by, making a small scrape along her cheeks. Sakura slowly touched the side of her face and saw blood. She looked back and saw a kunai knife plunged into the ground deeply from the speed.

Sakura gasped and tried to make a run for it, but before she could even scream for help, someone held her arm and twisted it to her back with tremendous strength. She was thrown flat on the ground and saw two ninjas, dressed almost alike in dark, leaf green jumpsuit, flak jacket, and thick, black masks.

"Wh-who are you guys?!"

"Did you just say Naruto? The Uzumaki Naruto who killed our brother?" one of the ninjas growled.

"Wh-what?" Sakura whimpered, and then caught a glimpse of the metal plate with a music note imprinted on it. It immediately hit her.

'So they're the brothers of that guy who Naruto killed..?' she thought as she groaned in pain from the painful grip on her arm.

One of the ninjas squat down to raise Sakura's chin. "Where is Naruto, that bastard? We'll kill him off for the crime he's done to us for good!"

"Heh, heh, I can't wait to cut his throat in one slice," the other one who was holding her arm growled.

Sakura looked at the ninja directly in his eyes and screamed, "I don't know where he is and even if I knew that, I won't tell!!!"

Her refusal made both ninjas' bloods boil, and the one holding her chin produced a kunai out of his sleeves. "What a shame to have this pretty face go to waste. Oh well, if you won't talk, I'll just have to slice that useless mouth of yours!"

Sakura closed her eyes to look away. She tried to squirm and wiggle her way out from their grasp, but the more she resisted, the more their grips became tighter.

"Naruto! Naruto!!!" she screamed.

"Sakura-chan!" the sudden familiar voice called out her name, and the blonde-haired boy emerged from the shadows of the trees. With one quick motion, he cut the two ninjas' hands and arms with a kunai. The enemies screamed in pain as they backed away to save the rest of their limbs.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto stooped down to pick her up. She nodded slightly as she got off the ground and dusted her uniform.

"Uzumaki Naruto, we finally meet," the enemies growled in unison.

"Ah, so you're the two of the three famous Sound Ninja brothers. You saved me a lot of time hunting you down," Naruto grinned.

"You killed our brother, you bastard!"

"I can't wait to cut your head off to collect the bounties held on you for doing such evil deeds!"

"Hey, hey, listen," Naruto shrugged casually. "I don't really want to hurt you two, and to tell you the truth, all of the five Kages already agreed to put you guys to death for slaughtering innocent villagers, looting, causing havoc among the civilians, and so on. I just happened to be the unlucky bastard to get this dirty job, that's all."

"You snake! Don't lie to us! The Kages would never…"

"Oh well, they did, and now," Naruto clenched on his kunai and held it up to their chest level. "You guys are next."

"Lies!" one of the Sound nins finally made his move as he jumped into the air to attack. Naruto grabbed Sakura by her waist and dodged the full blow which made a huge impact on the ground.

"Stay here," Naruto said as he dropped off Sakura near the bushes. Somehow Sakura looked worried about him. He stood up with a cocky grin on his face and made 'the nice guy' pose, all while turning his back on her.

"Heh, don't worry, Sakura-chan," he whispered. "I'll protect you- it's a promise."

She caught a glimpse of his eyes and before she knew it, he stepped into the battlefield, only to be caught in sharp edged chains.

"Say your prayers," the enemy smirked, and the two ninjas pulled onto each sides of the chain to tear his body to shreds.

"Naruto!!!" Sakura cried, but then there was a sudden cloud of smoke, and Naruto became a log.

"Kawarimi no jutsu!"

"We fell for it," one of the ninjas panicked, and then suddenly noticed the presence of the young boy behind him.

"Maybe you should say your prayers," Naruto said and slit the enemy's throat. He fell to the ground, forming a pool of blood.

"Kyaa, Naruto!" he heard her scream, and saw the last surviving Sound nin holding Sakura with a kunai knife to her neck.

"I'm going to kill her if you don't do what I say!" he threatened him and pulled her closer toward the knife. Naruto bit his lips, not knowing what to do.

"Run, Naruto… just leave without me," Sakura said, trying to fight of the grip of the enemy. "Just run!"

"So you got some guts, eh?" the Sound nin grabbed Sakura by her neck and started to choke her. Just then, a mass of Naruto's shadow clones flew down from the trees to kick the enemy.

"Gahh!!" the Sound nin was forced to let go of Sakura to dodge the full blow of the clones. He threw her away, and the real Naruto caught her in his arms. Sakura gasped for air and began to cough.

"Sakura-chan…," he said, dropping his head in shame. He set her down to the ground, biting his lips.

"Hold him down you guys," Naruto shouted as his clones who were shamelessly pummeling the Sound nin with the Uzumaki rendan. He held his palm out to the side, and cool air started to seep to the middle of his hand. Together, those wisps of cool air formed a blue sphere that contained a tornado inside. His eyes screamed for murder, and nothing more.

Naruto charged at the enemy, and shouted, "Rasengan!"

That was the last thing Sakura heard before she fell unconscious, before she could see the battle end shortly after.

* * *

When she woke up, she heard the sound of water rushing down. She had a grey blanket over her body. Sakura rose from the ground and rubbed her eyes. Right next to her, there was a gigantic waterfall and trees surrounding the whole area. She was sleeping on the soft grassy grounds this whole time, with a warm fire made in the middle. On the far left side, Naruto was sleeping while sitting in a slumped position.

She could barely see the sky from the trees, but caught a glimpse of blue, and knew it was morning.

She watched Naruto again, snoozing and almost falling, and then snapping back up to his sitting position. She couldn't help but curl her lips upwards at the sight of this.

'Naruto,' she called his name out in her mind, and crawled over to him with the blanket wrapped around her. She peered at his face quietly. He seemed to be in peace, like an infant. She thought that he was only simple and one-sided, but being with him for the last few days made her realize that there was more to the boy than she could ever imagine. He had so much potential, and yet he threw it all away to live a simple life in a simple village as a normal civilian. Why, she wondered, struggling to figure out the mystery.

Her eyes studied his face, until it came across his lips. She remembered when she kissed him by accident on that day of Christmas Eve, when she was pulled away from her world to this strange universe full of ninjas. Without much thought, Sakura touched her own lips with her fingers while taking a deep gazing at his, and then realizing what she was doing, she shook her head fast and tried to think of other thoughts instead.

She stood up and pulled the blanket off her shoulders and passed it on to him. She gently laid it on his back and walked away toward the majestic waterfall.

"It sure is such a lovely sight to see," she said to herself and took off her shoes and stockings to dip her feet into the water. It felt cool – washing away all the pain and stress that she had put on since the long walk away from Konoha. She dipped her fingers into the shallow ends of the pool, and paused for a minute. She turned around to see Naruto, still sleeping like a baby.

She smiled. 'I guess it won't hurt to take a bath by myself… before Naruto wakes up.' She took all her clothes off, folded them and placed them on a rock right next to her. Then, without any second thought, she jumped into the water and swam freely around the deep ends.

A few minutes after Sakura went taking her bath, the fire near Naruto started to break down the last remains of the burning wood. By the crackling sound of fire, he woke up a little startled.

"What the," he mumbled, still half-asleep, as he pulled out the kunai under his sleeves. He rubbed his eyes and noticed that the fire was dying out, and it was day break. He yawned and stretched, but saw that there was the blanket slung over him, the one that he gave Sakura last night.

He quickly stood up, ignoring the fact that he almost pulled a muscle in his left leg and started to look for her.

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan," he called her. And then, he noticed something splashing underneath the waterfall. He cautiously stepped over to take a closer look, and his eyes grew wide as he saw Sakura cleansing her body under the waterfall.

"Wow, this is so nice," Sakura said to no one in particular as she combed her hair with her hands. Strangely, she felt as if she was being watched. She slightly opened her eyes, and saw Naruto gawking at her stupidly.

He wanted to move. He wanted to walk away, pretending as if he had never seen that glorious sight. But he was frozen, as if the ground had swallowed his two feet. He felt his cheeks burning, and his eyes twitched as he sensed danger from her.

There was an awkward silence between the boy and the girl, and then in three, two, one….

"Kyaaaa, Narutooo!!!!!!!" Sakura screamed as she grabbed a bunch of pebbles underneath the water. She started to throw them at him.

"W-wait, Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to!!" he tried to reason with her, but knew that he was being an idiot. He was already labeled as a pervert in her mind, and there was no way to pull a few strings out of these kinds of situation.

One pebble went straight to Naruto's forehead.

_Conk! _

The sound echoed through the forest.

* * *

"Unbelievable," Sakura grumbled hotly as she poured herself a cup of tea. She took a sip, and then glared at Naruto with fire in her eyes. He tried to keep his eyes away from hers cautiously, keeping a distance from their walk. They were travelling again by foot, and Sakura was in no mood to talk. Dead leaves scrunched underneath their feet as they passed by, and all sorts of small creatures of the forest made their occasional debut out and about their ways. Only few strings of ray of light passed through the tiny corners of the trees, and sparrows, unseen before their eyes, chirped along with cicadas.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. I said I'm sorry, didn't I?" Naruto tried to turn her anger away from her. Somehow, that attempt seemed to make it worse.

"What?!"

"Besides, it sure was such a lovely sight to see. How could I possibly turn away from your beautiful figure?" he kept on babbling like an idiot, caught in his own perverted thoughts. Sakura clenched her fists and raised her voice.

"Shut up Naruto, before you get it!"

"The cool, transparent water caressing against your smooth, soft, milky skin…."

"THAT'S IT!!" Sakura charged towards him and pulled on his cheeks.

"Ow, ow, I regret nothing!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fists in the air victoriously, and Sakura pinched his cheeks harder out of disgust.

"What a fun sight to see," they both heard a deep voice echoing through the dark forest. Quickly, Naruto pulled out his kunai and held Sakura close to his body.

"Who's there?!"

A figure hiding from the shadows emerged out from the trees. Both Sakura and Naruto were suddenly faced another unexpected surprise in their lifetime.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. A small bead of sweat rolled down from the side of his face. "But… I thought you were dead! Is this a genjutsu?!"

'Sasuke? Why does that name sound so familiar?' Sakura thought as she glared at the boy with jet black hair spiking up. His onyx eyes were piercing through her soft, emerald ones.

Then it hit her.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?!" she shouted. "But… how…, I thought you were in Tok…!"

Somewhere in the corner of her mind, a memory that had been buried and forgotten for almost a year resurfaced again.

Also, she remembered everything, all the way back to the beginning when she first saw him.

* * *

A/N: Possibly the longest chapter I've ever written in my life xp. I never want to do that again, but it was fun staying up late to write while everyone was asleep. It made me feel like I was on a secret mission, heh...

I kind of freaked out because my internet started blocking me out, and I had loads of other works to do on it. Eep! Luckily, the problem was fixed with just one simple trick of pulling the cord out and then plugging it back in. -_-;;;

I know it's long, but I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Back to the Present

**Chapter III**

**Back to the Present**

_Who forces time is pushed back by time; who yields to time finds time on his side._

~_The Talmud_

It was on that fatal day on mid-June in Tokyo when she spotted him from a few distance away. He was standing near the central clock tower and the convenience store, his onyx eyes wandering and examining the city with intense curiosity. He was aloof, with no one around him or wanting to go near him because of his cold, depreciating aura despite the suffocating city heat, but she knew that in her heart, she already had fallen for him.

For a few times, he stood there when she was on her way to school or back home, always between morning and noon. His hands were often in his jean pocket, and he casually leaned against the wall. It was as if he was waiting for someone. At first, she speculated that the loud-mouthed yankis who squatted down in front of the convenience store's glass door or leaned against the wall were his friends, but then realized that they weren't after seeing him a couple of times alone on Saturdays and Sundays.

She didn't know what made him so attractive to her eyes. Sure, he was a 'pretty boy,' as her mother would quote. Girls often tried to make their pass in front of him. They swooned, they flirted, and sometimes, the older single ladies made proposals to him, but they all ended up crying or run to cover their wounds from being rejected coldly.

One hot day in August, when her summer break was about to end, she decided to gather up all her courage to talk to him.

"Hi," she said. She was sweating slightly from either being under the boiling sun or nervousness.

As usual, the boy with jet black hair just stood there leaning against the wall, ignoring her presence.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do afterwards. She was sure that he would talk back to her, like most normal civilians would. Instead, she decided to play along. She leaned against the convenience store wall right next to him, tossing the casual comment, "It sure is hot, isn't it?"

Still, he was quiet. Now she was really sure that she was sweating from nervousness and intimidation.

"Um, it sure is cool being underneath the shades, right?" she said, taking a glance at the tall, dying tree right in front of them that barely had any leaves to cast a shadow.

"Go away, you're sweaty," he told her, and Sakura could feel even the flakes of her skin freeze from his coldness. He got himself off the wall and started to walk away under the sun.

This didn't mean that Sakura was about to give up. Day by day, minute by minute, she watched him, always standing near the convenience store but never going inside there.

During the last week of August, there was rain, and Sakura much doubted that the jet-black haired boy would be out there.

On Wednesday during the rain shower, Sakura's mother asked her to buy few goods from the convenience store near the central clock tower. Usually, she would grumble and her mother would chase her out, but this time it was different. She wanted to check if he was there. Her mother cocked her head, thinking that her daughter finally snapped from studying too hard, but gladly handed her the red umbrella and the grocery list.

She was in her white shorts and spaghetti top, wearing Paul Frank flip flops and blue polka-dotted ribbon worn like a headband. She crossed the street drenched in beads of water. It felt like spring again, and she liked the smell of fresh rain. She didn't care if her clothes or feet were wet.

She would've never guessed that he would still be out there in the rain, waiting for something that she may never know. She took a small, shy glance at him before pushing the glass door to enter. He was still reserved in his own space, locked in his own thoughts with his eyes closed.

She collected all the items in the grocery basket and crossed off everything written on the list. Then, she stopped by the counter, and the store clerk began to scan all the food.

"Young lady, do you know anything about that man?" the store clerk asked.

"Hm?" she turned to the place where the man was pointing. She saw the boy, still out in the rain. She sighed, and turned back to the cash register in front. "Mou, I don't even know him too well, and he does that all the time… Geez, it's not like he even cares about his own well-being."

"I've seen him stand there all the time, never missing a day," the store clerk informed. "And at least once, I've seen you there with him."

"Well, I'm not close with him or anything-"

"Here," the man handed her a paper bag containing two steamy red bean paste buns. "Take this and give one to him, and have the other one for yourself. It's free, on me."

"Ah, no, how could I possibly-"

"Don't worry, young lady. Just take it for him at least. That poor young man must be soaking wet outside. Whew, young folks like him could easily catch a cold," the store clerk grinned. "Now go on." Moved by his kindness, Sakura beamed a smile.

"Thank you, Mister," she said, and went out carrying all her grocery bags and the buns. She hesitated, not knowing what to say to the boy.

'Ooh, what should I say to him?' she thought as she perched her red umbrella up above her head. She stood there, watching him, while he did nothing but pay no attention to her like always.

'Ugh, I feel so stupid. What could I possibly say to him? 'Here you go. It's a bun'? It's not like I think he's a charity case or something. Oh, but what should I do…?'

She took a glance back into the store, and the man behind the counter had his thumbs up with a smile. She quickly turned back to the boy she barely even talked to, and started to feel nerves spiraling around her brain chaotically. She closed her eyes tightly while clenching on the paper bag.

'Ughh, what should I do…!'

"What are you doing?" she heard the deep, apathetic voice say. She opened her eyes, wondering if she was dreaming. But she wasn't, and he was there, finally giving her notice. His eyes, as always, were full of curiosity and insight. She carefully walked up to him, bowed exactly ninety degrees, and stuck out the paper bag in front of him.

"Here, eat it," she said. It felt so awkward… so very awkward….

He took the bag and opened it. The sweet aroma of the buns rushed out soon. He folded the mouth of the bag and handed it back to Sakura, who was still in her bow position.

"I hate sweets," he uttered. She remained in that awkward way, slightly embarrassed and feeling sorely disappointed. He crumpled her pride and ignored her like all those other girls. But Sakura wasn't about to lose. She stood upright again and grabbed his right hand. She dug one bun out of the bag and shoved it into his palm.

"Eat it," she told him with a slightly threatening glare. She then marched away back home in the rain, vanishing before his sight.

He found this amusing, but didn't bother to take a bite. But he didn't throw it away carelessly either.

September rolled by, and Sakura was about to start her second semester with Ino and Hinata back at Konoha high. Sometimes after school, she rushed to the central clock tower to see him, but he never stood there anymore. She never saw him again until a month after, when she spotted him wearing a Senko High gakuran one day. He was staring at his watch and waiting for the bus at the bus stop. She felt never so happier to see him or anyone else for that matter in life. She approached toward him carefully, and pretended to wait for the bus too.

"Oh geez, that bus sure is late," she complained, though he didn't seem to fall for her tricks too easily.

"The bus here always comes within five minutes," he said bluntly, still looking at the other direction. Sakura never felt so embarrassed again in her life.

"Ah, ha ha, of course… I always forget," she said as she tapped herself on the forehead and made a girlish giggle. Still, nothing seemed to catch his attention towards her.

'You're not that special either, Mr. Emo-kid,' she heard her inner self quip. She tried to shake it off, and suddenly noticed his school name tag read, 'Uchiha Sasuke.'

"Is that all?" she said. _Awesome…._

He turned to her. "What is?"

"Um," she placed her hand over her mouth, blushing slightly. She wanted to try and get out of this situation somehow, but his eyes didn't let her escape. "Um well, it's just that… I wanted to know your name for a while and I saw your name tag…"

Her mouth twisted and turned. She fidgeted, wanting to get out of this awkward situation as soon as possible. She couldn't wait for that bus to arrive so it could cart him away from her far, far away…

For some reason, instead of making his usual nasty remarks, he said, "And yours is Haruno Sakura."

She raised her head. "Huh, how did you know that?"

"Name tag,"

"Oh,"

Then, the bus came, and a crowd of people got on and off the bus.

"Aren't you going to get on?" Sasuke said as he held onto the rail attached to the bus door.

Sakura's open palms waved back and forth to the side. "Ah, I catch the next bus," she lied, since it only took her ten minutes to walk home. He nodded twice, still with no emotion drawn on his face.

"Ah, but I'll see you next time, Sasuke-kun," she added, and the bus door soon closed and carried him away.

She waved and waved. And when she could see the bus no more, she jumped up to the sky in cute Supergirl style.

"YES!!!" she screamed in joy.

* * *

She was sure that it was him. It felt like as if an eternity had passed by as Naruto and Sakura both stared at him in shock.

He wasn't in his usual normal jeans and tees, the ones that she usually saw him wear back in Tokyo. Instead, he wore loose black pants and tee, along with a coat that resembled uwagi. It had navy wave patterns flowing against the white backdrop. Around his waist he had a dark purple obi belt tied around with a sheathed sword slung on it at the back, and had a twisted dark strip of cloth tied around his head. Still, it was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan, what do you mean by that? He couldn't have been in Tokyo- he was killed by Madara two years ago!" Naruto shouted. "I was sure of it. I saw Madara absorbing him!"

"Eh? But I met him before in Tokyo! What are you talking about, Naruto?" Sakura claimed, overwhelmed by this strange situation.

Sasuke smirked. "You two are both correct, except you're missing out on a little detail. You may have seen me being absorbed into Madara's hands during our last fight, Naruto, but in truth, I was sent to her world."

"But why would Madara do that? He said he took your powers and even claimed that you were dead!"

"You stupid bastard," Sasuke said, dropping the tone in his voice. "How many years will pass before you gain at least an ounce of brain in that useless head of yours? Madara's toying with you, you moron. He saved me because I would serve some kind of purpose in the future.

I gave him all my power and strength by joining hands of Team Hawk with Akatsuki and even following their plans to get at least one step closer to my true goal – to destroy Konoha at all cost. But I played right into his trap, and he used me for his own devious plans to conquer the world of ninja."

"What are you talking about Sasuke-kun-"

"The night before I faced you, Madara gave me this chakra crystal containing a bit of his chakra. It was to know if he was still alive or not," Sasuke continued, holding out the translucent crystal between his thumb and index finger. "It was black before, but that faded away after he was destroyed by you, Naruto."

"But Madara's not dead, Sasuke!"

"Ah, so you know it too then. I guess I won't have to explain that boring detail. That shriveled up old bastard is intelligent, I have to say. He modified his own body like a space-time container to teleport around. He thought I would fall for his blatant trap again by giving me this crystal and by thinking that he was dead, I would drop my guard. Ha, what a fool…"

Naruto and Sakura stood in confusion. The lively sound of nature that once filled the forest was dying quietly.

"He wanted you to kill him you fool, although that was his alternate plan and would've loved to harness your power to rule the world. No, Madara discovered another amazing secret. Since he knew these tricks of space-time jutsu, he decided to conquer this universe and the universe that he sent me to. The bastard had only a small amount of power to transport me to one place, and that was where Sakura lived. Heh, but small is just an exaggeration since he still had the power of all those other eight tailed beasts left in his system. Once he died and became a portal, he began to harness mass amount of chakra in his system by absorbing all kinds of ninjas from different countries."

"Why are you telling us all this, Sasuke? Why now?"

Sasuke stayed silent.

"Why?" Sakura insisted.

Sasuke began to chuckle, but that became menacing, depreciating- almost with the attempt to cut down any soul who dared to foolishly question his methods.

"Why, you ask?" he said, keeping a twisted, sinister smile upon his face. "Why? I'm just giving you two a heads up before I kill you and allow the portal to gain your powers. I found a way to kill Madara and I'll absorb his powers like I did with Orochimaru and become the most powerful, immortal shinobi of all time!" And with that, Sasuke crushed the crystal in his hands and let the sparkling dust blow away by the wind. With tremendous speed, he charged toward Naruto, pulling out his sword slung on his belt.

Naruto pushed Sakura aside and pulled out his kunai to counter Sasuke's attack. Tiny sparks flew as the sword clashed heavily with the kunai.

"Sasuke-kun, stop! This is insane!" Sakura yelled, but Sasuke paid no attention. Instead, he kept wielding his sword against Naruto's kunai until he finally managed to fling the weapon away out of the defensive boy's hands.

"Not bad, Sasuke," Naruto remarked.

"Don't get so cocky," Sasuke pointed his sword at Naruto with an evil glare. He twisted his sword around in his hands and tried to strike. Naruto dodged swiftly, and threw a kunai at Sasuke.

"Stop it, both of you," Sakura said, but her voice remained as a background noise while the two warriors fought with equal strength.

Naruto made his hand signal and called out five of his shadow clones to the battle field. They all charged at their target, and in return, Sasuke disappeared in the blink of an eye. All the clones stopped and looked around their surroundings. Suddenly, the real Naruto realized where he was and saw Sasuke up above him, summoning tremendous amout of lightning in the blade, ready to slice him in half. He quickly dodged, but his opponent was able to at least inflict a deep, wide cut on his right arm.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she began to run to him. Naruto gasped in pain, but yelled, "Stay back, Sakura!"

Applying chakra to his feet, Sasuke landed on the side of the tree and used it to jump toward Naruto. He plunged the electrical sword into the blond boy's chest in less than a second, delightfully watching the blood spill out as he pulled the weapon out. Sakura watched in horror, wanting to do something, but not knowing what.

But then, it all ended out as trickery as Naruto suddenly became a cloud of smoke.

"Damn his clones," Sasuke muttered, but before he could finish his sentence, Naruto emerged out from the ground and punched Sasuke's face with his right fist. From the impact, his body flung, crashing into trees until he made a back spin in the air and landed on the ground safely.

Blood trickled down Sasuke's mouth and sides of his head while Naruto held on to his bloody, now useless, limp arm.

"Heh, I shouldn't have used my righty," Naruto smirked. Sasuke casually wiped the blood off the side of his mouth with one flick of his thumb.

"Reckless and stupid as usual," Sasuke quipped. "But I have to admit: you got pretty fast, being able to switch with your clone at such situation…"

"Since when did you get so chatty, Sasuke?" Naruto grinned, and charged towards Sasuke.

Sakura just watched them, dazed and confused. They were having a duel to death, and yet, were fighting as if it was all just a simple, childish competition and nothing more. It was as if they fought with all their soul and memories, the times when they used to share dreams and share the same rivalry. The time when they were petty, the times when they grew out of loneliness and pain with the village….

The time when they were once friends, Sakura realized.

With a sudden flash, she snapped back into reality as she saw Naruto holding out his kunai in his fist.

"How can I be anything when I can't even save one life, Sasuke?" he said with a kind, anachronistic smile.

Sasuke's sword halted in the air, but the expression on his face remained cold and unscrupulous as usual.

Friends, they were once friends. And now, they were fighting. Sasuke wanted Naruto dead. She saw Naruto somewhat shaking from the tremendous amount of blood he lost due to his right arm.

Naruto noticed that his vision was blurry, and though he tried to retain his defensive position, it was fruitless. Sasuke was charging toward him with kirin at an enormous speed.

Friends…

Who were friends before…

But no longer are….

"_Stop!!!_" Sakura screamed as she ran toward the middle of the fight.

Just then, a pillar of light descended down to the ground, carrying the three away from the almost inevitable result of the battle.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes, and all she could see was darkness. There was no light, although she could still see herself, the color of her uniform and alike. Naruto was lying a few inches away from her, breathing heavily as he held his injured arm.

"Naruto!" she cried, and held him close to her chest. "Where are we?"

"Probably trapped between the spaces of the two universes," Sasuke replied. Sakura held Naruto closer to her body.

"I won't let you kill him," she whispered with a threat of death hinted. That, however, didn't seem to be his concern for now.

"We should be at Tokyo by now," Sasuke said, letting his eyes wander around the dark, vacant space. "Why are we here?"

Then suddenly, both of them heard the deep, menacing voice creep from the shadows.

"You're caught in my body…."

"Who's there?! Who said that?" Sakura shouted, her voice becoming a disappearing echo.

Sasuke knew the familiar sound of the voice. "Madara."

"You were always the clever one, Sasuke," the voice answered.

"Let us out! And let me go back home!" Sakura demanded. The sinister voice cackled under the dark, always lurking for more fear and panic from the girl. Sasuke and Sakura both tried to look for an exit or some kind of light, but to no avail.

"I can't let you have it your way, Sakura dear,"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"What…How do you know my name?!"

"For years, I've been keeping my eyes on you, and I have very good eyes. You see, my dear, you hold a special kind of power – something that I very do much so desire to complete my regeneration."

"What the heck are you talking about? I have no powers, you jerk!" Sakura yelled, holding onto Naruto's hand while wanting his protection desperately.

"Haruno Sakura, don't joke with me. You have the power in your hands to save your world, or destroy it. Ah, my mistake. Tokyo was never your home anywise, so it wouldn't matter to you if it was gone."

Both Sakura and Sasuke's brows crumpled. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Foolish girl, don't you remember the day when you went flower picking outside your home when you saw a tunnel of light in a nearby forest cave? You crept into it and landed right in the heart of Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo. You're no ordinary girl, Sakura. You have the power of time travelling sleeping within your soul."

"Liar, that's impossible!" Sakura shouted, but that scene which Madara had told her really weren't. They were creeping out of her old memory box which locked away all her childhood past. She had a mother and a father, and they lived in a quiet village with a large, leaf green gate that could be spotted from miles apart. Then, there were two other couples, her mother and father, who took her in to their apartment. She had just turned seven at that time, and that was over ten years ago. Those two couples, their images produced in her mind looked so vivid and clear. They looked almost identical to each other, minus the clothes and hairstyle.

"Now, it's your destiny to join me. Together, we shall conquer these two pathetic universes together and harness the ultimate power! Ha ha ha!!!" Madara's voice grew louder, ringing sharply in her ears. She wanted to block him out. She wanted out.

"Join you?" she said, covering her ears. "I don't want to! Screw yourself and go to hell because I'm not giving even a slice of my finger to you!" Sasuke stood beside her in shock.

"Now, I shall absorb you, the nine tails, and Sasuke. By the way, thanks for all your help, Sasuke. It was a pleasure."

Sasuke gritted his teeth in sheer rage, not being able to believe that he was duped badly by a man who seemed so easy to be used on his own whim. Sakura helplessly watched shadows move closer towards them, inch my inch. They were crawling like snakes with a full intent on swallowing them alive, enjoying every moment of squirms made pathetically by those humans.

'Naruto,' Sakura thought as she cringed and shed a few drop of tears, which suddenly glowed in the dark and became pure lights surrounding them with all warmth miraculously. The shadows backed away in fear, and the light grew brighter, becoming a circular disk that in one instance, took the trio away in brilliant flash.

* * *

When they opened their eyes again, Sakura and Sasuke saw the dazzling neon signs and Christmas ornament lights all around. They heard the sound of cars honking in the busy, snow carpeted, asphalt road. They were in the park, surrounded by trees. The tall central clock tower was hovering over them, with the big and small hand striking twelve o' clock, midnight.

The bell started to ring and echo through the hollow, empty park. Sakura's emerald eyes travelled across the large TV screens mounted onto the walls of the tall, silver skyscrapers. She saw the date.

December 25th- Christmas. Tsunade's predictions came true.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo, I'm almost done!!! Just one more chapter to go, I think, he he. Yes, this was a fairly short chapter compared to the last one, sorry to disappoint you. Ah, not really. I'm just going to keep the suspense going and going till the last chapter!!

Well, I'm happy. My holidays went by fine. I really hate those scented air sprays. They make my head hurt like right now.... . Dang, I can't believe I sprayed too much of that stuff. It's making me feel really sick, bleh.

Okay, a few terms to know. I'm just going to write it fast and simple. Gakuran is those uniforms that Japanese boys in middle and high school wear. Uwagi is a Japanese jacket that's similar to kimono, except it's the top part that people wear for martial arts. Uh, yeah, I think that's about it. Oh, and Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the most important gardens in Japan, and is very beautiful. See you soon!!!


	4. Celebration

**Final Chapter**

**Celebration**

_For last year's words belong to last year's language  
And next year's words await another voice.  
And to make an end is to make a beginning.  
~T.S. Eliot_

Sakura curled her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest. She was on the floor, warm and cozy. Outside, snow was piling on the windowsill white the world was still covered in darkness with bright streetlights twinkling everywhere. She was in her room, her own cozy nook, with Naruto, still unconscious and lying on her bed and Sasuke sitting on her study chair. Silence hung above in the air awkwardly.

For as long as she could remember, she knew that she had lived on this apartment, 26th floor, far right from the elevator. Her parents were always kind to her, sending her to the most prestigious schools in the city and taking her to travel around the world with them. They treated her like their little princess and gave her many presents and sweets. But no matter what, she could never feel the real parental love from them, no matter how much she begged and asked for it.

It all came clear to her.

"I messed up time real bad," she whispered as she kept her eyes to the ground. Sasuke's ears perked in interest, though he still had his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. "I'm Haruno Sakura from a village called Konoha, not a city named Tokyo. The real Haruno Sakura of Tokyo should exist here with my parents, sleeping in this room and hanging out with friends for Christmas in the afternoon. Because of me, my parents in this world never had any children…"

"Just shut up and sleep," Sasuke cut in. "You're mumbling."

"Sasuke-kun…"

"I'm going out to get some air," he said, and quietly left her room.

Her room felt never more so empty in her life. She stared at Naruto, still unconscious, and yet seemed so peaceful. She crawled over to him, sat beside the bed on the floor, and carefully touched his cheeks with whisker marks. She had already treated his wound that Sasuke had inflicted upon, and it was healing rather fast. She sighed in relief. Naruto was safe. He was alive with her.

"Naruto," she said. Just then, his hand grabbed her caressing, gentle hands. She gasped, and saw Naruto's eyes slightly open.

"Sakura-chan," he said weakly. "Where am I?"

"In my room, and don't worry – you're safe," she smiled. He smiled back, though it was faint.

"That's good…."

"Sasuke-kun's here too, you know,"

"What, that bastard?" Naruto feebly got up, and Sakura assisted him a little.

"Don't sweat it. He won't fight you anymore. It's all over now, though there's still Madara we have to worry about," she told him. Naruto nodded, but groaned in pain as he held his right arm.

"Ugh, you idiot," she said as she pushed him back down on her bed. "Just stay there until you fully recover, okay?"

He held her hand closer to his chest.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll in tip-top shape in no time!"

"Ugh, cocky as ever," she said with a hint of smile rising. He grinned back, and she was sure that her heart started to beat a little faster. He was now carefully staring at her, giving her all his focus and gentleness. She wanted to kiss him so badly….

"Uh, how's your arm?" she switched the topic, and he twisted his eyes. He was so close on making progress….

"Fine," he muttered.

"Say, Naruto… do you want to go back home?"

He looked at her right in her eyes with firmness and strength. "Yeah, of course I do. That's where I was originally from, Sakura-chan."

Me too, she wanted to say. Me too….

"Take me with you, Naruto."

"But Sakura-chan, you just got home. Why would you want to go back to Konoha with me?" he asked, surprised from her odd reaction. He was a little cautious, thinking if this was a trap set up by Sasuke. After all, Sakura went through many ordeals just to come back home, and here she was, wanting to go back to Konoha with him.

"Don't worry, Naruto," she smiled at him genuinely. "I'm never surer in my life that I want to go back with you, to be with you... So please let me go."

He was still in daze, wondering why all of the sudden she would be like this. Still, he nodded with overwhelming happiness mounting in his heart. Smiles bloomed on their faces, and he kissed her forehead.

"I'll be right back and bring some ointment for your arms," she said, and walked out of the room.

She took the last tour around her flat. As she went down the hallway, she carefully peered through the frames, staring at her mom and dad's faces. All those family photos that had mounted on the walls now would remain as precious memories to her. She took the last look around the living room, full of her photos at school, summer vacations in Europe, and all her small, frivolous crafts that she made when she was in elementary school. Tears began to roll from her eyes from the thought of leaving her home, everything she knew to a place where she originally came from.

She wiped her tears away and went into the bathroom to find some medicine in the cabinet. She saw a rolled up newspaper sitting at the edge of the tub. Her father always loved to read newspapers in the bathroom early in the morning. She sighed, wishing that he would get rid of that nasty habit, but wanting to treasure that piece of memory as well in her heart. She collected the ointment, but just before she left, she decided to read the rolled newspaper, the headlines of this world just one last time. She unfolded the paper, and saw the front cover read: Christmas – time of joy, celebration, and grief. It's the 10th anniversary of the Iruka Academy Bus Accident.

'That's my old elementary school,' Sakura thought and further pursued reading the news. She read in her mind, and the black letters embedded in the paper rang loud and clear in her heart.

"_While travelling back home from their field trip on Christmas day, the Academy bus containing twenty-four children inside all tragically passed away with the bus driver as it slid off the slippery curves of Kappa road. Here are their names and faces to commemorate in respect of their parents…_"

Only two names and faces stood out to her. They were both ten years old and had bright, adorable, eager little faces beaming out despite the black-and-whiteness of the photo. Their names were Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. One boy's last name was different and had no whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks, but they still presented the similar features to the ones that she knew. She sighed heavily in grief, dropped the paper down on the tiles, and walked back to her room to see the injured boy.

* * *

After he was asleep, Sakura decided to go out to the balcony just for the last time. When she got there, she saw Sasuke sitting on the edge of the metal bars dangerously.

"Are you sure that you won't fall?" Sakura said as she leaned against the bars beside him. He answered back with a "Tch," and kept his focus out in the beautiful city.

"The sun will rise soon," he told her. "And you decided to go with him, didn't you?"

Sakura nodded. "I have to protect him against Mardara. I have the time travelling power to shield him in case something goes wrong, remember?"

Sasuke took a tentative look at her. "You only tell half the truth, Sakura. Why lie, when you're actually in love with that idiot?"

Sakura quickly turned back, feeling her cheeks burn despite the cold. "I-I am not!"

"Keep talking," he said.

The cold winter wind silenced them both, and Sakura bent her head down to stare at the ground far apart from her. Her lips were curling up, visible by Sasuke. _I gave you my heart last year, and you just threw it away… but somehow, now I'm okay. You're not there anymore in here._

"The portal won't open again until next week. That's how Madara's powers work," Sasuke said.

"Huh? Then how will we go back?!"

Sasuke dug deep in his pocket and pulled out a few more chakra crystals, which were now pitch black. "Madara gave me more than just one, just for show. When we were in the core of his body, these crystals sensed him and absorbed a bit of his chakra. If I go out to that exact spot where we landed and hold the crystals out, Madara will surely reopen his portal again because his chakra will call for him with me."

"Ehh? But Sasuke-kun, that means you'll be the bait? But what happens afterwards?"

"I will strike the central core of his space-time jutsu while letting him take over me," he answered.

"Sasuke-kun, you can't do that!" Sakura shouted. "You can't die! Sasuke-kun, Naruto can destroy the portal using Rasenshuriken, so please don't do this!"

"You really think that will destroy Madara completely? It would, but then Madara would regenerate over and over again. The core where his space-time jutsu is performed must be destroyed before the Rasenshuriken could happen," Sasuke explained. Tears began to well up in Sakura's eyes. He turned back to her, and it was the first time that he ever had such a gentle look upon his face.

"Be happy, Sakura, with Naruto," he said. "Heh, you're so annoying."

Just then, the glass door of the balcony slid open, and Naruto stepped in.

"Sasuke," he glared at the calm jet-black haired boy.

"Naruto…," Sakura began to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"Right, we should get going now to that place near the central clock tower to find the portal,"

"Uh huh," Sakura nodded sadly. Naruto furrowed his brows, knowing that something was up by instinct, but not exactly being sure.

"Alright, up we go!" Naruto carried Sakura princess-style and jumped off of the balcony.

"Kyyaaa!!! What the heck are you doing you idiot!!!!" Sakura screamed for her life as she began to pound on his chest.

"Ow, ow, just hold on, Sakura-chan and stop punching me!" Naruto shouted back, facing the current of the cold winter wind. He landed safely on a roof, and leaped to another, picking up his pace. Sasuke soon followed them, muttering curse words to the idiotic couple.

The snowflakes were falling again, one by one again on that Christmas morning….

* * *

The convenience store near the clock tower was always open 24/7, due to the fact that the owner changed just a few months ago. Sakura picked out a cup of tea and blew away the steam to let it cool a little.

"So here we are, but there's no portal anywhere," Naruto said, looking around the empty park. It was nearly four in the morning, so the central clock tower told them through its four consecutive rings.

Sasuke pushed Sakura aside and dug deep into his pocket. Then he pulled out the black chakra crystals and held them high in the air.

For a minute, nothing happened, and then suddenly, the bright pillar of light thrashed down on to him and slowly started to lift him away.

"Sasuke-kun!!"

"Sasuke, what are you doing?!"

Finally, for the first time, Sakura witnessed a gentle smile spreading on Sasuke's face.

Though he didn't make a sound, they could both read his lips. "Be happy…"

"Sasuke!!" Naruto shouted, but soon, he vanished away in the light.

Sakura wept in silence, trying to hide her tears while Naruto stared at the blinding light still descending from the sky. Naruto knew by feeling that it would be the last time to see his rival, his friend.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, it's time for us to go back too," he said, holding Sakura by her waist. Slowly, they moved into the light.

"Do you think we'll get there?" she asked him giving him a sip of her tea. He drank it, and grinned whole-heartedly.

"I think we can go anywhere if Sakura-chan's by my side," he answered her back.

The beautiful snowflakes were dancing around them, fluttering freely against the raging wind of December. She slowly inched toward his lips, locking it with hers. He was a little caught by surprise at first for her being so bold, but later returned the kiss back. He held his right hand up toward the sky, and cool air seeped into his hands, forming the blue sphere with additional four sharp blades spinning at the side.

'Hold onto me tightly… I don't want to lose you. That's my only wish,' she thought as they were pulled up to the sky with the pillar of light. After she parted away from his lips, she smiled and he did too, and they both went back to Konoha with hopes held high in their chest for another adventure, for another new beginning….

The sparkling slowflakes which had just landed on the ground were also lifted away together with the light. Sakura and Naruto watched this magic happen around them, each holding a wish for each other, each wanting nothing but best for the future which waited for them back home.

* * *

"You see, we time travelers know most of things, but won't tell. We know the outcome, but we won't say. What fun is that in life if someone told everything about your future, your dreams? Wait for time to come to you, Sakura, and then you will know everything," Tsunade smiled as she saw the clouds gather at the center of the village with the pillar of light descending down. She was watching them over at her office, with a woman with short, shaggy ebony hair carrying a tiny pig named Ton-ton.

"Tsunade-sama, how did you know that they'd defeat Madara?" her assistant Shizune asked.

She turned to her. "That, I didn't."

"Eh?! Then how did you…"

"I have my full confidence in them," Tsunade replied with a wink, and watched the two couples land on the grounds of Konoha. "Like I said, I only know most of things, not everything."

* * *

The villagers stared at the couple in shock, wondering how possible that was. Snow which never came to Konoha was falling lightly upon their heads. Sakura stared at the blue sky with the tunnel of light slowly dissapate away along with the wisps of clouds gathered around before them. She held her hand out and gave a bittersweet smile to the heaven above. Snow, the last gift which Tokyo would ever give her for her new life with Naruto...

"Na-Naruto, you're back," an old woman said, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

Naruto and Sakura grinned and gazed into each others' eyes, as if they held a deep secret that they shared, heart to heart.

"No time to waste now," he said. "We've got a wedding to celebrate today!"

The villagers all awkwardly stared at each other, until one by one they started to realize. They clapped and cheered, congratulating their union and boys elbowed Naruto for snagging such a beautiful woman.

Another happy new year.

* * *

A/N: So the chapter finally ended. I hope you enjoyed it (as this story did make me stay up all night to work on). R&R please or I'll hunt you down... 'I know what you did last summer' style!!! :)

Now that I think about it, maybe I should've put chapter 3 and 4 together, but maybe it's better this way. I'll keep thinking about it.

I have to apologize for not continuing my other stories too. I'm kind of uncertain for two things. One is that I have school, and I'm super busy with all the activities and work that I have to do (I'm pretty much involved and have lots of practices to do). Two: I want to edit it, but I feel kind of afraid to do a touch up and then continue, or it might mess up the whole plot. I will try to continue the stories. I think "Death Wish" is definately going to continue, so stay tuned for it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!


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